John pepper



guitar grates gaunt @ffite;

JOHN PEPPER, OF LAKE VILLAGE. NEW HAMPSHIRE. Letters Patent No. 67,578, dated August 6, 1867; antedated July 30, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE DOOR-PASTENER;

TO ALL WHOMIT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JOHN PEPPER, of Lake Village, in the county of Belknap, and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Door-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents an edge view of the fastener, and

Figure 2 represents a perspective view of the same.

Portable door-fasteners have been made of many varieties, but they are inconvenient to carry and troublesome to apply, or damaging to the door, or janib, or floor. And I am aware that a fastener having four right-angled flY'CllSjOf varying sizes to suit 'varying cracks or openings, and with spurs on one edge of each arm, the other edge being smooth, have been used, but they are too inconvenient to carry around in the pocket to go into use; besides, one edge being smooth, they are liable to slip.

My invention consists in making a fastener in one piece, with both its sides and edges tapering, the sides being smooth and the edgesvnicked, spurred, or otherwise roughened, so that by its tapering form it will enter anyspace between a door and its jamb, and when turned half around the nicks or spurs in its edges will take one set into the door, and the other set into the jalnl) or frame, making it impossible to force'opon the door without bursting off the wood.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my fastener, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

In fig. 1 the taper of the sides a a is distinctly seen, and in fig. 2 the taper of the edges 1) bis also seen, the instrument being quite thin and pointed, so as to easily enter the smallest crack or crevice. The edges are nicked, spurred, or roughened, as at c c, and the end is formed with a ring, d, so that a key, nail, or any small article may be put through it to turn the fastener half round when inserted in the crack to lock the door. Thus a single instrument, small, easily carried and applied, quite cheap, and not damaging to the wood, is furnished, and which is very secure as a door-fastening.

In applying the fastener to a door it is pushed into the crack between the door and its jamb or frame, the smooth sides a a admitting of its easy insertion, and the tapering form allowing it to find a bearing in any ordinary-sized crack or crevice. When inserted as far as it will go, the instrument is turned half around by taking its fiat head 0 between the thumb and finger; or, if it be hard wood, or difiicult to turn with the thumb or finger, an ordinary key, penknife, nail, or any such thing, easily procured and generally carried around with the user, may be placed through the opening d and used as a lever to turn it by. When turned half round the spurs c c cut or take into the wood and hold with the tenacity of the thread of a screw, of which the nicks may be a section and out by a bur.

Having thus fully described my invention, what Iclaim as a new article of manufacture, and desire to A secure by Letters Patent, is-- A portable door-fastener with tapering sides and edges, the sides being smooth for its easy insertion, and the edges nicked or toothed for taking into the wood when turned against it, to firmly hold the door, the whole made in one piece, small, compact, and easily carried, as set forth.

JOHN PEPPER.

Witnesses:

A. B. S'rouesron,

WM. H. Rows. 

